Editing Phoenix (mythology) (section)

==Etymology==
The modern English word ''phoenix'' entered the [[English language]] from [[Latin]], later reinforced by [[French language|French]]. The word first entered the English language by way of a borrowing of Latin ''phoenīx'' into [[Old English]] (''fenix''). This borrowing was later reinforced by French influence, which had also borrowed the Latin noun. In time, the word developed specialized use in the English language: For example, the term could refer to an "excellent person" (12th century), a variety of heraldic emblem (15th century), and the name of a [[Phoenix (constellation)|constellation]] (17th century).<ref name="OED">"phoenix, n.1". OED Online. September 2020. Oxford University Press. https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/142601?rskey=BIj1L3&result=1&isAdvanced=false {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307210949/https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/142601?rskey=BIj1L3&result=1&isAdvanced=false |date=2021-03-07 }} (accessed November 06, 2020).</ref>

The Latin word comes from [[Greek language|Greek]] {{Wikt-lang|grc|φοῖνιξ}} (''phoinix'').{{Sfn | Barnhart | 1995 | p = 564}} The Greek word is first attested in the [[Mycenaean Greek]] ''po-ni-ke'', which probably meant "[[griffin]]", though it might have meant "[[Arecaceae|palm tree]]". That word is probably a borrowing from a [[West Semitic languages|West Semitic]] word for [[madder]], a red [[Dyeing|dye]] made from ''[[Rubia tinctorum]]''. The word ''[[Phoenicia]]n'' appears to be from the same root, meaning "those who work with red dyes". So ''phoenix'' also mean "the Phoenician bird" or "the purplish-red bird".{{Sfn | Van den Broek | 1972 | pp = 62–66}}